Second Week of Advent: True Love Does Not Wink at Sin

“And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God” (Philippians 1:9–11 ESV).

Paul’s heartfelt love for the believers in Philippi is expressed not only for their participation with him in the gospel but also because of an underlying desire that at the appearance of Christ, they would be found pure and blameless. 

This second week of Advent reminds us that true love does not wink at sin.

The prophet Malachi speaks to people who call evil things good (Malachi 3:1-4). He reminds them that the LORD is coming, and when He comes, it will be a time of purification—a challenging and intense time:

“But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? …” (Vs. 2)

In language his people understand, he proclaims that the LORD is like a “refiners fire” and like “Fullers soap” (vs. 2). Those descriptions may not be as understandable to us as it was to Malachi’s audience.

The metaphor of a refiner’s fire is used by Malachi to convey the intensity of the purification process. The refiner, through intense heat and solvents, separates pure metal from ore, reducing it to a fluid state and removing all impurities (Isaiah 1:25; Jeremiah 6:29). This process, akin to what we now call “metallurgy,” underscores the message that without intense heat, there can be no purification.

Regarding “Fullers soap,” Malachi is not referencing a “brand” name. It is a potent cleansing property composed of “niter” found in Syria, and vegetable alkali obtained from the ashes of certain plants.^⁠1 

The soap was used to cleanse and whiten cloth. The garment was soaked in soap and water, beaten to remove stains and impurities, and then washed with lye. 

Are we beginning to see the picture?

Paul’s deep love for the Philippians goes beyond what they are doing for him. Although he’s thankful for their expressions of love, his ultimate concern is (like that of Malachi) that when Christ returns, we will be found pure and blameless. 

As we wait for Jesus’s coming, we hear much about love. It’s true, God loved us so much He sent His Son, Jesus, to rescue us from sin. But our Rescuer is not only loving, but He also desires us to be clean and pure.

This Advent Season invites us to respond to God’s incredible gift of love by examining our ways. God is all-loving AND all righteous. He desires us to be clean and pure.

Despite popular opinion or personal preference, calling evil things good is a strong indication of our need for purification. This means that when we justify or accept actions or attitudes that are contrary to God’s standards, we are in need of a change of heart and mind, a purification of our thoughts and actions. 

Prayer: “God of light, in love, you call us to repentance and reconciliation through the gift of your Son, Jesus. As we wait for your appearing, cleanse and purify us so we may sow seeds of your love in the lives of everyone we meet. Blessed be God forever.” Amen.

¹ Merrill Frederick Unger et al., The New Unger’s Bible Dictionary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1988).

M. G. Easton, Illustrated Bible Dictionary and Treasury of Biblical History, Biography, Geography, Doctrine, and Literature (New York: Harper & Brothers, 1893), 269.

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